AUP Community Sets New One-Day Giving Record

On Thursday, November 19, 2020, the AUP community came together in the University’s first-ever Giving Day, a fundraising campaign that solicited gifts from parents, alumni, friends, trustees, staff and faculty in order to #MakeParisPossible for our student body in this year of changes and challenges. The event aimed to reach 150 donors and, in doing so, break the record for the most donations received on a single day by AUP. After 24 hours, the University community had raised over €95,000 euros from 188 generous supporters – more than breaking the previous record. “The response was extraordinary, with parents, trustees and even faculty and staff coming together to support the AUP community,” says Mary McLean Evans, Vice President for Presidential Initiatives.

Donors could choose to funnel their gift to a particular fund or initiative, including multiple scholarship options, such as the new Black Alumni at AUP scholarship or the Coup de Pouce travel fund, and the next stage of the University’s campus redevelopment: The Monttessuy Center for the Arts. Any unrestricted donations will help create a buffer against the impacts of adapting to the Covid-19 pandemic. “In this extraordinary year, when so many of our students are studying in confinement and remotely from around the world, it is more important than ever to support our community,” comments AUP President Celeste M. Schenck. “We are especially grateful for financial support this Giving Day to make Paris possible not just this year, but for the foreseeable future.”

Throughout the day, several members of AUP’s Leadership Team and Board of Trustees proposed matching challenges to encourage others to give – and the AUP community more than rose to the occasion. Every donation, no matter its size, helps improve the lives of global explorers both today and in the future. “Donations provide scholarships and amazing resources like our new Quai d’Orsay Learning Commons, which makes the learning environment so much richer,” says graduate student Marissa Rico. “I wanted to share my deep gratitude and appreciation for this support.” Though Giving Day is now over, it is always possible to support the University via a donation.